Figments
by Maddie-san
Summary: Illusions save us from the pain and allow us happiness. Sometimes, it is better to go along with the dream than to have it crushed to pieces by reality.


**A/N:** This was my last entry for Tangerine Dream's tournament. The prompt was fact or fiction and my opponent was Naaqashi. A few days ago, Tangie announced that I won the tournament. To say I was speechless was not accurate enough. It was a challenge for me to keep it M rated and under, ah! But I received such love with each entry that - it helped me!

(If you're wondering my entries for each round were (in order): Unexpected Addiction, Curse of the Innocent, Youkai No Mimoto, Eternal Rest, Forever in a day, and this one, Figments).

Thank you Shadow-bby for beta-reading!

**Figments**

**Oneshot**

"Two days wench! Don't forget!"

Kagome rolled her eyes at Inuyasha as she grabbed the wooden edge of the well. Despite the fact that they did not have any leads on the shards, Inuyasha was not very pleased with the thought of her leaving for a couple of days. The worse part was, she was not leaving to study like usual, but because they were running low on supplies which included his Ramen.

"That also means you don't get to drag me back tomorrow." she said warningly.

"Keh," he uttered, before crossing his arms in front of his chest.

She gently shook her head while she prepared herself for the _drop_. Blues and purples surrounded her and twirled around with shiny lights as she passed through time. Mere seconds passed before her feet landed on the dirty ground at the bottom of the well. She sighed almost silently and grabbed the strap of her yellow bag and began her climb up.

Kagome reached the top with a few sweat drops resting on her eyebrow. She tossed her nearly empty bag on the ground carelessly and then pulled herself out. When she opened the wall doors of the well house, the sun shone brightly on her face and almost blinded her. She shielded her face with her hand and headed towards her house.

To say she was not happy to be back would be a lie. Truth was, lately she was feeling _exhausted_. Of course, it could simply be because they were following a bunch false leads and they were basically jogging around the whole darn country aimlessly. Headaches and nightmares also plagued her, but that had a simple explanation. Naraku was tainting the jewel even more than before and because of her link to it, she was being affected.

"Kagome?"

At the sound of her mother's voice she turned her head to the left and smiled brightly. "Hey mom."

Her mother glanced to her left and then her right. "Sesshomaru didn't come with you this time?"

Kagome blinked out of confusion. "S-sesshomaru?"

This time, for a brief moment, her mother looked at her as if she was the insane one. But then, slowly, she smiled again. "Oh. Isn't that Inuyasha's brother?"

"Yeah." she managed to say. "Why would he be with me?"

"I'm not sure, but shouldn't Inuyasha be with you?"

Kagome was staring right at her mother's face with her heart pounding slightly faster than usual. It felt as if she was missing a part of the conversation. She only mentioned Sesshomaru to her mother maybe… once? Why would she bring him up? On top of that, she was now acting as if she never even said Sesshomaru's name.

Was she losing it?

"Mm, he – he's going to come get me in two days."

"I'll make sure to stock up on Ramen then!"

Her mother went ahead and walked in direction of the house and Kagome followed her. Either she was going insane, or the lack of sleep from the past few days was finally catching up to her. Maybe her mother did say _Inuyasha_ and for some strange reason she heard Sesshomaru.

A warm bath and a nice soft bed was all she needed.

Maybe it would also help with the stinging, tingly sensation she had in her neck. Over the last couple of days she felt like someone was pricking her and no matter how she tried to soothe her neck, it failed. Although, it was most likely a problem only the _Modern Era_ could fix.

She returned here quite often and she enjoyed the luxury of modern conveniences along with the other perks. In spite of that however, she did like the Feudal Era. It felt more like home. Here it was cold and even if her family was here, she felt lonely. When she was there, she had a family, people who needed her and adventure.

Some days, it was better there.

-F-

The sound of the wind whistled through the open window of Kagome's room while a few birds chipped away to announce the morning. The sun was trying to light up the room but the pink curtains prevented it from waking Kagome from her slumber. Unfortunately, something else did; a soft knock on the door.

"Kagome, you're going to be late."

Her head was heavy and pounding when she opened her eyes. She was going to be late? Late for what? She was not playing on going anywhere today! … Maybe it was a school day and her mother thought she was planning on attending. Technically she should, but she was too exhausted; she did not even want to leave her bed right now.

She ran her fingers through her tangled locks and managed to sit up in her bed. She turned her head to the left and saw her alarm clock indicated eleven o'clock. That was quite unusual and late for her. Even though she still had no idea what she was late for, she had to agree; she needed to get up.

Her feet touched the cold ground and she shivered slightly. She lifted herself up, her heaviness dragging her down and she reached out for a pair of beige pants and a yellow t-shirt. She quickly slipped them on and then headed outside her bedroom. She expected to hear her family's voice but it was fairly quiet.

Kagome reached downstairs and found herself staring at her mother and nobody else since she was the only one in the kitchen. "Where's Souta?"

"Oh, your brother is at work."

_Work_? "Work?"

"Yes. School."

School right. Was that what she said in the first place? It had to be.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded. "I'm just a little tired."

"Good thing you didn't set the time until noon!"

"The time for what?"

Her mother tilted her head to the side with a smile on her face. "Your _date_. You two go there every month for your anniversary!"

For a second, Kagome's heart stopped beating. No more thumping in her chest, no more heartbeat pulsing through her veins. Her entire body felt frozen while her mother's words echoed in her mind. Anniversary? An- what – "Anniversary?"

"Yes, you are supposed to meet your friends at the restaurant aren't you?"

Her heart began to beat again and she felt her hands shake. This was crazy; nobody's hearing was this off. It had to be a dream or even a nightmare. _Yes_ this was what it was; a nightmare. She had them quite often and maybe this was one was _really_ realistic. Maybe someone was even messing with her mind. It was a – figment of her imagination, something not real.

"Right. I am."

Her mouth twitched into a smile and she grabbed her purse from the coat hanger. She did not even ask where she was supposed to go, and instead she went straight outside. There could not even be a location. Kagome did not remember making any plans with her friends. It was another hint that led her towards the theory that this was not real.

Her fingers were firmly wrapped around the strap of her purse and she was digging her nails into the fabric. Her eyes were suspiciously shifting left and right, and she was waiting for something to jump at her. Or maybe for something to pull her out of this dream world. It was not the first time something like this happened, but it never lasted very long.

And then, it hit her. Wacdonalds. She did not know why, but she spotted it from the corner of her eye and she felt it was where she needed to be. She really hoped the anniversary thing was her mishearing because there was no way she was having a date there. Well – she did once with Hojo, but really that was – well she was forced and was completely distracted the entire time anyway. It did not count.

Though, she was not one who had some silly prince charming expectations for future romance, not after she admitted to herself the way she felt about Inuyasha.

It was with sweaty palms that she went for the fast food place and she opened the door with a weak push. Immediately, she scanned the vicinity and tried to spot someone that may seem familiar, even just one of her friends. Unfortunately, everyone was a complete stranger to her. Her bottom lip began to tremble when suddenly she caught a flash of long silver hair.

Silver? What in the – was Inuyasha here?

She frowned before leaning forward and trying to get a better look at him. It was then that he turned his head slightly to the side, but the person she found herself looking at was not Inuyasha… it was Sesshomaru. _Sesshomaru_? If that was not shocking enough, he was staring right at her with sad eyes. Sad puppy eyes Sesshomaru? She _was_ in a dream.

Since he made it appear like he was waiting for her to join him, she decided to play along. She pinched her lips together and then sat down in front of him. She almost expected him to fade away and be replaced with someone she was more _familiar_ with but no, he remained himself.

"Sesshomaru," she said with a nod.

The moment she uttered his name, his eyes glistened and a smile formed on his face. "You know my name." His voice was quiet and soft, nothing like the usual one she was used to.

She arched an eyebrow at his response. "Yeah. You're Inuyasha's brother."

As quickly as she brought him joy, she took it away. His expression saddened and he glanced away to hide the pain in his eyes.

"I am," was all he managed to choke out.

When she remained quiet and did not try to start the conversation, he looked hurt, but not surprised. "You look great."

"Mh, thank you," she replied before a slight blush decorated her cheeks.

Sesshomaru was now a nice guy who offered compliments? Maybe this was not a dream but a nightmare; thinking about him as a gentle person was almost scary. He was strong, quiet – and clearly lonely – but that _was_ Sesshomaru. Although he could be a little nicer… there was nothing wrong with him.

"Do you know what day it is?"

"Tuesday?"

He smiled. "It's been four years."

"Four years since what?"

Before he could reply to her she watched as he vanished in front of her. Her blue eyes widened and instinctively she reached out for the empty space in front of her. Gone.

"Kagome? Who are you talking to?"

When Kagome tilted her head, she spotted Ayumi standing there with puzzlement on her face.

"Nobody."

While her friend sat down at the table, Kagome tried to process what was happening. This had to be some sort of dream, or even illusion. It could not be a dream because there was no way it could be this realistic. If Naraku induced this… why was she in her own world? And she saw Inuyasha! And her own mother! Poison? No! No! Nothing happened to her recently that would provoke this… unless… No.

A youkai maybe? Yes. Maybe there was a youkai messing with her in the modern era. After all, it did not happen until she returned home; before that she was fine. Although… youkai in the modern world… she's never sensed one!

"Kagome!"

She snapped her head up and glanced at Ayumi.

"Sorry, I'm just… did you notice anything strange?"

"Except you talking to yourself?"

"When did you get here?"

"Three minutes ago I think?"

Didn't that mean that Ayumi was there when she was still talking to Sesshomaru? She should have seen him right? Wait. Not if he was not real. But she was going through the day as if everything was normal and it felt like time was not slowed down either.

"It doesn't matter. You should stay here."

"Here?"

"With us. It's nicer here. Don't go back there."

Could it be that she was talking about the feudal era? No, of course not. She was not even aware that it existed, how could she possibly be talking about it?

"You mean home?"

Ayumi smiled. "Yes. _Home_." She extended her hand and cupped Kagome's cheek. "It's too painful there, you know the pain that awaits you."

"A-ayumi?"

"It'll hurt once you go back. Here, you are free."

Kagome felt her heart race and for no apparent reason her eyes began to fill with tears. "I think I should go."

"It's okay, it's already over."

She opened her mouth like she was ready to scream at her friend but no sound came out. Her body was trembling while she experienced jolts of pain spreading through her nerves. She lifted one of her hands and brought it to her throat. Air. She had no air. Kagome began gasping for air while a heavy feeling filled her head. Darkness and dizziness took over and she began tripping her own feet.

She was going to pass out.

"No! STOP THIS!" she screamed. Where was she! What was happening to her? "Please," she begged while one tear rolled down her cheek.

She wanted to stay awake; she _had_ to stay awake.

But she slowly slipped away with silent screams escaping her throat.

-F-

A dark room was completely empty when a door opened and shed light on it. A tall man exited his bedroom and flipped on the living room light switch. His black pants were a bit loose on his and his gray shirt was half buttoned. His long silver hair was in a messy ponytail that was barely still holding when he stepped into the kitchen.

His eyes almost drifted in direction of the calendar, but he stopped himself. He did not need to look to know what day it was. Today marked the fourth year. Of course, if he was being honest with himself, he would say it was only two years. But he chose to count every year, even the ones where he was far away from her.

He roamed his hand over the kitchen counter until his fingertips grazed the golden picture frame. In the picture he had his arms wrapped around her while she leaned against his chest. She wore that short sleeve red shirt that made her eyes pop and her hair was being tangled by the wind. She looked beautiful. It was taken before he lost her and it was how he always remembered her, no matter how she looked now.

Part of him wanted to take the picture, but he decided against it. He was going to see her now and he did not need to dwell on memories. Soon enough, they would make new ones. He did not care what the doctors said, she would get better he knew it.

As a matter of fact, her doctor, Dr. Naraku, began a new treatment on her three nights ago and today Sesshomaru was going to be informed of the progress.

It was hard for him because it meant he was not able to visit her during the past few days and he was used to seeing her every day. Dr. Naraku recommended he also refrained from doing so today, but he could not. Today was special; it was their day.

He fixed his collar since he wanted to look presentable and re-did his ponytail quickly. It required a great deal of effort for him to pull himself out of bed today. As a matter of fact, visiting her was the _only_ reason he ever got out of bed. For the last three days, he slumped around the apartment. He was not certain he wanted to be outside again.

Then again, how else would he bring her the gift he prepared for her?

His head tilted to the side and glanced at the flowers on the table. White roses were her favorites. The other gift was in his pocket and it always remained there; he never took it out. He inhaled deeply before grabbing his jacket from the hanger and he quickly slipped it on.

He rapidly headed to his car and then proceeded to drive to his destination. No music was playing in the car since he preferred perfect silence. He was used to it since she left him and he did not want to change that. The only way sound and light would be brought back into his life was through her, and nothing else.

Minutes turned into an hour, and finally he arrived.

His heart was beating rapidly but his face remained stoic. To most people, he probably appeared emotionless. He used to feel a lot, and even smile. Since she was taken from him however, he did not. How could he smile or laugh while she was in pain? It was not fair.

He marched inside, following the yellow lines like he always did, and the guard at the entrance greeted him with a nod. For the past two years, it was the same man doing the day shift and after a while, he began greeting him. The sliding door opened for him and he went inside, the familiar bleach smell filling his nostrils. No matter how many times he came in here, he never got used to it.

"Mr. Taisho, good morning," said a nurse as she headed in his direction. "Does Dr. Naraku know you're coming today?"

"Yes, I made an appointment."

She smiled brightly at him before reaching out for his arm and squeezing it gently. She was aware of the situation he was in and from the first day, she was nice to him. Sometimes even a bit too touchy.

"I know the way, thank you."

He was more nervous than usual today. This treatment had a very good reputation and had worked on quite a few people. Now, he did not expect her to be cured today or even be – herself, but progress would be nice.

"Dr. Naraku."

A man with long black hair turned his head and body to face him. He wore a white lab coat along with a black shirt underneath. Glasses were slipping off his nose and his shaky fingers were fumbling with papers.

"I was not sure you would be present."

"I had to." Today, he could not be absent.

Naraku nodded and moved away to let him come near. "We finished administrating the doses for this week. I am unsure if there will be any improvements. In some patients it might not work, or it could take months."

"All I am asking for is a chance."

"I am aware Mr. Taisho. I also hope you are also aware it is an expensive treatment."

"I know." How could he forget? A third of his fortune, one he inherited after his father passed away, went into her treatments and upkeep. It was also why he lived in an apartment rather than a house; he saved more money.

"May I see her?"

"Of course."

Naraku grabbed keys from one of his pockets and unlocked the door near them. "Please be careful. I cannot guarantee her current state of mind is a stable one."

He saw her in many different emotional escapades and he loved her no matter how she was. He was simply grateful he could see her. He tightened his grip on the flowers and walked inside to find her.

There she was, sitting on the bed in a white straight jacket. Her hair was tangled and had so many knots in it that he doubted they could ever get her hair brushed again unless they cut almost all of it off. Her eyes were glossy and a bit of drool was hanging from the side of her mouth, and she was staring dead ahead at the wall.

And she looked beautiful. It was her, his Kagome.

Two years ago, she was taken from him. Men kidnapped her and he did not even want to think about what they did to her. It took them days to find her… in an abandoned building. She was bloody and blue; all beat up. It was because of him. They wanted to get to his money and instead she suffered the price. She was barely alive when they found her… and she was no longer herself.

She did not talk, she was injured and she no longer seemed like she was a part of their world. He lost her that day. Her mind… it blocked everything that happened to her and instead she was left an empty shell. The doctors said she was still in there somewhere, but she did not want to be in the real world.

It was not the only bad news. Once her main injuries began to heal, they were faced with another devastating piece of information; she was paralyzed. Her left leg was beaten up so badly that it no longer worked. Also, her left arm had lost some feeling and function. Once she would be back to herself, she would be unable to resume the life she had before.

He took a deep breath before sitting down beside her. She did not glance his way or even flinch. Gently he reached out for her hair, like he always did. His guts were being twisted and he felt as if his heart dropped.

But then, it happened.

She slowly turned her head in his direction and she nodded. "Sesshomaru."

He held his breath and the world around him ceased to exist for a second. She said his name. During the entire two years she had been here, she never once said his name. She sometimes blabbered and groaned, but – she never recognized him.

Tears of happiness stung his eyes and he broke into a smile. "You know my name?"

She seemed surprised by his question. "Yeah. You're Inuyasha's brother."

Her words were enough to break his heart all over again. Inuyasha's brother? Is that how she described him? His heart twisted in pain and he did his best to keep the cold façade he always had on.

"I am." he said with his voice betraying him.

Instead of continuing the conversation like he hoped she would, she remained quiet. He would not be greedy since he already obtained more than he prayed for today.

"You look great." She always did.

"Mh, thank you." And she blushed. She looked adorable. She looked like his Kagome. Life was sparkling in her eyes and she was lively full of emotions. When was the last time he saw her smile or even happy?

His compliment seemed to confuse her and he felt a part of him break apart. In her mind he was nothing more than his brother's brother. In her little world, he was nobody, she did not seem to know him well. He knew his Kagome and she was acting like he was a pure stranger.

He needed her to remember. "Do you know what day it is?"

"Tuesday?"

Surprisingly, she was right. It was not the answer he was looking for, but it was right. "It's been four years." Four years since she came into his life and changed his world forever.

"Four years since what?"

Sesshomaru was about to answer her when suddenly Dr. Naraku came inside the room and disrupted their conversation.

"My apology Mr. Taisho, but it seems a medication was forgotten." He would not take a risk and jeopardize Kagome's chance of recovering by waiting to give her the medicine.

Sesshomaru nodded and slowly moved out of the way. Once he was out of sight, he observed while Kagome reached out for the spot where he used to be as if she was trying to grab him. The sight broke his heart. She – she wanted him to stay. The tears were threatening to fall this time and he was doing everything he could to hold them back.

"Kagome?" said Naraku as he held a needle in his hand. "I'm going to help you."

She seemed to only hear half of what he was saying but he proceeded anyway. "Stay with us." He observed from outside the way she spoke and how she at least seemed to recognize Sesshomaru. He was not sure it was the new drug since it was recent, but one could hope.

Once Naraku grabbed hold of her, Kagome seemed to panic. The shine in her eyes left and it was replaced by fear. If Sesshomaru could, he would snatch her away, but the medicine was the only way to make her better and she needed to go through with it. Kagome began to resist and tried to break her arm free of Naraku's hold, but she failed.

"I think I should go." she said when the needle touched her arm.

Once Naraku inserted the needle, all hell broke loose. "NO! STOP THIS!" She did her best to yank herself away, but he was stronger.

Naraku winced while using all his strength to keep her as steady as possible. Once the needle was empty, they both watched as Kagome's head titled back and her eyes closed slowly. She was losing consciousness.

"Is it supposed to do that?" Sesshomaru inquired with worry.

"Perhaps it overwhelmed her." She was on a very strong medication at the moment and it could be unpredictable.

He lost her. It was their day and he lost her.

The doctor seemed rather apologetic when he moved away and allowed Sesshomaru to sit by her side again. She was now laying down in the bed with her ebony locks spread across the pillow. He put the flowers near her before resting his hand against hers. He did not need her awake, he simply needed to be there with her.

"She said my name. She knew who I was. Well, she knew me simply as Inuyasha's brother. But she knew me."

"You shouldn't be hurt by it."

He knew that. It was not her fault she did not remember him and their life together.

"It is probably because she loves you too much."

The doctor's words confused him and he waited patiently for the explanation.

Naraku put his hands in his pockets and moved forward a bit. "You see, she loves you. But, you were the main part of her life when… whatever she is trying to block happened. She misses you and it hurts her to not be with you. To compensate, her brain – well, it made you unimportant in her little world. That way, she wouldn't feel the void your absence left."

It was probably silly and he should not believe it, but he did. Today might not be the day he gained his Kagome back, but at least there might be hope.

As he moved his leg he felt the gift move around. The ring. The engagement ring he as going to give her the night she disappeared. He kept in his pocket every day ever since. One day, she would get better and he would give it to her.

One day, he would give her the life she deserved and he would make up for her suffering.

-F-

"About time wench. What took you so long?"

Kagome smiled playfully as she ignored Inuyasha's insult. Her time back home was exactly what she needed; relaxing. She spent a whole day – or almost – sleeping and she felt recharged. She also brought enough Ramen to feed Inuyasha for a couple of days.

She walked past him completely and headed towards Kaede's village with her heavy backpack, that was much bigger than she was. As she took fast steps she could not chase the feeling of a presence lurking around. She rapidly turned her head around and glanced at the shadows only to find nothing as expected.

Kagome sunk her teeth in her bottom lip and sighed before resuming her walk.

Somehow, she knew there was something she was forgetting, but she didn't know what.

And her heart ached.

-F-


End file.
